A Reason To Be Strong
by Crescent Blossom
Summary: All Kenpachi wanted was a strong opponent that would make him stronger and he has found one in Sakura Haruno. Kenpachi is curious on how Sakura had grown so strong and so he simply decides to ask her, nothing could prepare him for her answer.


There are truly not enough Kenpachi/Sakura fics on this site. Hehe, I think the couple is cute with Sakura's quick temper and Kenpachi's blood-thristy attitude, there's gotta be some sort of chemistry. So, because of the lack of Kenpachi and Sakura fics, I decided to make this cute little one-shot. Ah well, you all the know the drill. Read and review, please!

**_HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!_**

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_**"A Reason To Be Strong"**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach, they belong to their respective owners.**_

* * *

Sakura stood under a large waterfall, her eyes closed with concentration as she endured the heavy water pouring down her bare body. The lush forest around her was silent, with the occasional sound of a bird or some other forest creature. Sakura's pastel pink hair reached past her shoulders in waves due to the water that was continually cascading down her body. Sakura had grown into a beautiful young woman, she wasn't overly curvy but she was by no means flat chested. Sakura's skin was a flawless, healthy pale color and she had long slender legs that any woman would kill for. Her body was toned with a bit of muscle that didn't overshadow her feminine appeal.

"Saku onee-chan!" a shrill child-like voice rang out and the rosette's eyes snapped open, revealing a dazzling shade of emerald. Sakura sighed and stepped out from beneath the waterfall, before she pulled on a light robe that stuck to her damp skin, leaving nothing to the imagination. Sakura braced herself when a bright pink blur shot in her direction and jumped on her, leaving her momentarily breathless.

"Yachiru-chan, what are you doing out here by yourself? Where is Kenpachi-san?" asked Sakura lightly as she pried the young girl from her body, who simply smiled up at Sakura with a cheery expression. Sakura couldn't help but smile at the young girl, before she carefully step her on the ground and waited for the younger rosette to answer her questions.

"Ken-chan is upset because Icchi won't fight him again, so he told me to find you!" chirped Yachiru in an excited voice and Sakura'seye twitched lightly as she listened to Yachiru explain how 'Ken-chan' had been depressed lately and he wanted to fight a worthy opponent that would allow him to grow stronger.

By the end of Yachiru's tale, a vein in Sakura's head was throbbing and her hands were balled up into fists. Sakura quickly pulled on her Shinigami robes and strapped her zanpakutō to her waist, before she allowed Yachiru to climb onto her back. Sakura quickly headed back to the Gotei 13, where the Eleventh Division was located and where she would find the current cause of her headache, Kenpachi Zaraki.

Yachiru hopped off of Sakura's back as they neared their destination and small girl, quickly rushed into a building with Sakura following after her. Sakura's reiatsu was swirling around her in a threatening manner, which made many others move away quickly in order to avoid the woman's wrath. Sakura watched as Yachiru slid a door open and ran inside, only to jump onto the shoulder of her beloved 'Ken-chan'

"Ken-chan, I brought Saku onee-chan just like you wanted!" exclaimed Yachiru happily as she pulled on Kenpachi's spikes, which made the Captain of the Eleventh Divisionsmirk in amusement before he turned to face the fuming woman, who had visible waves of reiatsu rolling off her.

"Kenpachi-san, please enlighten me on why you had Yachiru come find me, when I specifically told you I did not want to be disturbed", Sakura grounded out and Kenpachi rose a nonexsistent eyebrow at her, the smirk never once leaving his face.

"You prove to be a worthy opponent, Sakura", Kenpachi said simply and Sakura's eye twitched again but she otherwise didn't respond, until Kenpachi spoke up again with a amused tone, "And I was bored." Then, all hell simply broke loose.

* * *

The Captain Commander sighed when he heard the explosion in the distance which caused Renji's eyes to widen before he shot to his feet, only to have the Captain Commander place a hand on his shoulder and shake his head. The two had been in the middle of Renji giving his report on the amount of hollows that continued to show up in Kakura Town. Renji looked at the Captain Commander with a look of confusion on his face, but the elder man just shook his head.

"Zaraki and Haruno are at it once again", the Captain Commander confirmed and Renji sweat dropped when he heard yet another explosion in the distance, before they both sighed in unision and went back to their discussion.

***Line Break***

Kenpachi laughed when he and Sakura's zanpakutōs clashed once again, the air was filled with their wild reiastu but neither seemed to notice or care. Yachiru sat on top of a random building and clapped happily at the battle that was going on, she didn't know who to cheer for since she loved her 'Ken-chan' and 'Saku onee-chan' both. The young lieutenant of the Eleventh division cheered happily when her two precious people crossed zanpakutōs once again.

Sakura jumped back and narrowed her eyes at Kenpachi, who was laughing like a mad man at the fact that Sakura had actually been able to cut him without her even releasing her zanpakutō. Sakura truly believed that Kenpachi may be a masochist, but she didn't have time to dwell in her thoughts before the blood-thirsty man charged at her again.

**"Way of Destruction, Number Fifty-Eight, Orchid Sky!" **shouted Sakura and a massive tornado-like blast released from her hand and shot directly towards Kenpachi, but the Captain of the Eleventh Division merely grinned before he jumped over the attack and Sakura's eyes widened a fraction.

Kenpachi swung his zanpakutō down and grinned when Sakura brought up hers to block the attack, she grimaced at the amount of raw strength that Kenpachi pressed down on her causing a crater to form under all the pressure. Sakura focused her reiastu to her left arm before she punched Kenpachi in the face sending him flying back. Kenpachi crashed into a building and Sakura stood breathing heavily with an aggravated look on her face.

Gold colored reiastu exploded from the building where Kenpachi had crashed into and Sakuramentally groaned, she hated the vast amount of reiastu that Kenpachi had, it was so unfair in her personal opinion. Kenpachi stood tall once the dust had cleared and he grinned at Sakura with a mixture of respect and some other emotion that Sakura couldn't wrap her mind around at that current moment in time.

Sakura's eyes narrowed and she gather her reiastu causing it to swirl around in a silver typhoon, which caused Kenpachi's grin to grow larger which to Sakura didn't seem possible. Kenpachi rushed at her and Sakura sighed before she charged at him as well, the two Shinigami met each other head on and their zanpakutōs clashed. Sakura's face had broken out into a feral grin as she realized how much she was actually enjoying herself, it had been a long time since she had actually had a 'friendly' spar.

Sakura was usually with Unohana helping out with the Shinigami that were sent out on assignments and came back injured. Sakura loved the fact that she was useful in healing kido and that most people looked up to her, but she missed the thrill of battle. Sakura missed the adrenaline rush that came with narrowly dodging an enemy attack, she missed the joy that came with victory over conquering an enemy. Sakura pressed her zanpakutō harder against Kenpachi'sand he in return used his superior strength to overpower her.

Sakura jumped back and grinned before holding her zanpakutō horizontally with both hands and her eyes narrowed, before her reiastu seemed to grow. Kenpachi's eyes widened a fraction when Sakura's reiastu seemed to sky rocket past its normal amount. Although hers was nowhere near as vast as his and Ichigo's were, she could probablygive Hitsugaya a run for his money. Yachiru watched in awe as her 'Saku onee-chan' seemed to increase her reiastu at an amazing level and the young rosette found herself speechless for once.

**"Hunt, Shippou-Kiba Yajyuu!" **shouted Sakura as she finally released her zanpakutō from its sealed state, causing everyone present to stare in shocked silence. No one knew the name of Sakura's zanpakutō, but she had never released until now.

Sakura's katana began to grow before it shot into the air and shifted into the form of a large scythe that was about a foot taller than she was. Sakura raised her right hand into the air and caught her weapon once it had formed, she twirled in her hands above her head before she rested it over her shoulders. The hilt of the scythe was silver whilethe blade of scythe was black and at the end of the hilt a sharp blade in the shape of a fang. Kenpachi stared at Sakura's shikai before he stared into her eyes and grinned.

"Your just full of surprises, Haruno", he spoke before he rushed at her and Sakura simply smiled in response as she rushed forward, loving how Shippo-Kiba Yajyuu seemed to be eager for fight in her hands.

Sakura swung her scythe at the same time Kenpachi swung his katana, the two weapons clashed and a shock wave of power occurred causing bystanders to shield their eyes and everyones' clothes whipped around them, violently. Sakura and Kenpachi gazed into each other's eyes while identical grins on their faces, before they pushed apart and charged at each other again. Kenpachi swung his katana at Sakura, but the rosette beauty deflected it with her weapon and twirled her scythe so the blade at the end caught him in the side, which made Kenpachi laugh once again.

* * *

Somehow the two battling Shinigami managed to leave the Gotei 13 and they wound up in the forest that Sakura had been in, before Yachiru had come and gotten her. Kenpachi had various cuts and bruises and Sakura wasn't better off, if anything she probably had twice as many injuries. Sakura stared at Kenpachi as she tried to catch her breath with a small smile on her face and Kenpachi grinned at her, before he and Sakura both collapsed simultaneously.

Sakura's zanpakutō returned to its sealed state and she struggled to sit up, before she began the gruelingtask of healing herself. Sakura healed all her major injuries before she moved over to Kenpachi and began to heal him, he stared at her with an intense gaze and Sakura glared at him lightly. Once Sakura was finished she began to back away, but Kenpachi caught her wrist in his hand. Sakura stared at him in silent question and shivered lightly under his gaze, but didn't say a word.

"How did you get so strong?" he questioned and Sakura raised one of her eyebrows, before laughed softly. The rosette reached out and touched Kenpachi's face softly, with a light smile on her pretty, heart shaped face.

"It's because of my reasons, I want to be strong so I can protect the ones I care about. When I fight with Shippou-Kiba Yajyuu and I feel invincible, I know people are counting on me so I push myself to be stronger", Sakura explained and Kenpachi's eyes widened a fraction, before he slowly began to lean into her touch.

The sun had begun to set and a comfortable silence had settled around the Captain of the Eleventh Division and the rosette that everyone had grown to admired and respect. Sakura closed her eyes and sighed softly in content, unaware of Kenpachi staring at her. Sakura's eyes snapped open when she felt an unfamiliar warmth on her mouth, she gasped lightly she she realized that foreign contact was coming from Kenpachi. Kenpachi Zaraki, the blood-thirsty Captain of the Eleventh Division was kissing her! Sakura closed her eyes and slowly began to respond to the kiss after she got over her intital shock.

Once Kenpachi was sure that Sakura would push him away he pressed into her aggressively, towering over her by a foot or more. Sakura moaned lightly when he nipped at her bottom lip and she eagerly opened her mouth to allow his tongue entrance. Nothing about Kenpachi was soft and gentle, he was hard and dominate and Sakura wouldn't have it any other way. She wrapped her arms around his neck moaned when he pressed his body against hers, they molded together perfectly almost as if they were made for each other.

The two Shinigami pulled apart when the need for air became apparent and Kenpachi smirked at Sakura's flushed appearance, while she shot him a glare. Kenpachi pulled back and looked up at the orange-red sky with a thoughtful expression on his face, before he turned his attention back to Sakura. Sakura glanced at their zanpakutōs that laid on the ground side by side and she couldn't help but smile, those two blades were amazing in battle.

"You and Yachiru", Kenpachi spoke up suddenly and Sakura focused her attention on the Captain of the Eleventh Division, who was looking at Sakura with an intense emotion in his eyes. Sakura touched his hand softly and gave him an encouraging smile, which his gaze softed to.

"You two will be my reason to become stronger...I want to protect you two", he managed to get out and Sakura's eyes widen in shock, before she looked at Kenpachi's zanpakutō which semed to glow with reiastu, but before Sakura could speak out to say anything a pink blur shot towards them and knocked them both off balance. Yachiru sat on Kenpachi's chest with a chesire smile on her face, which Sakura giggled at.

"Ken-chan! You and Saku onee-chan were amazing! Saku onee-chan, your shikai is amazing!" exclaimed Yachiru loudly and Kenpachi smirked, before he stood up and set Yachiru on his shoulder. Sakura stood up as well and turned to their zanpakutōs, notcing that Kenpachi's was no longer glowing. She mentally shrugged and collected hers, effectively strapping it to her waist.

Kenpachi took his and gave Sakura a small grin, which made her blush as she looked away. Damn him for making her flustered! Sakura walked beside Kenpachi, as Yachiru talked animately on top of his shoulder. Sakura looked at Kenpachi's zanpakutō and couldn't help but grin, it was only a matter of time before he learned its name. Kenpachi noticed Sakura's grin and rose an nonexsistent eyebrow at her which she shrugged to in response.

"I think Ken-chan and Saku onee-chan should fight more often!" Yachiru stated loudly and Kenpachi smirked, while Sakura aquired a feral grin on her face. They both glanced at each other and nodded in silent agreement. Sakura didn't have a doubt in her mind that Kenpachi Zaraki would grow stronger and as he did grow stronger she vowed that she and Yachiru would both be by his side, always.

* * *

*** Shippou-Kiba Yajyuu - Silver-Fang Beast**


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